


a message (just for you)

by ThatFilmGraduate



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - No War, Bad Poetry, Bisexual Remus Lupin, Dorks in Love, Established Relationship, Gay Sirius Black, Hopeless Romantic Sirius Black, Love Confessions, M/M, Oblivious Remus Lupin, Quotes and Messages, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, quotes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:41:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29465943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatFilmGraduate/pseuds/ThatFilmGraduate
Summary: It's Valentine's Day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and someone is sending Remus Lupin gifts.In which Remus Lupin spends seven years getting gifts from a stranger and wondering who it is.Remus/Sirius.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 1
Kudos: 90





	a message (just for you)

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these HP characters or settings. Nor do I own any of the quotes or the Capitalised holiday mentioned in the following story. 
> 
> A/N: Flower quote is by Terri Guillemets, Chocolate quote is by Baron Justus Von Liebig, the terrible poem is by me. 
> 
> Written: September 2020  
> Edited: February 2021

**February 1972 (First Year)**

On his very first Valentine's Day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Remus Lupin received a card. It was nothing particularly fancy. It was just a simple white card with a glittery red heart on the front and a nice message inside that read:

**Dear Remus,  
Several billion people will experience today in a different way.  
I hope your day is the best of them.  
Happy Valentine's Day**

The card was not flash, but it was notable, and it was notable for three distinct reasons: one, Remus had never gotten anything for Valentine's Day before in his eleven years on planet Earth; two, it was the only thing he received that year; and three, his roommates (Peter Pettigrew, James Potter and Sirius Black) all received the same one as well, though the words inside were all different.

Despite his friends getting a similar something, the card and its message made Remus feel special and warm in a way that he had never experienced before and he glanced around the Great Hall, wondering who had sent it to him and why.

"Oh, you got one too, eh?" James asked, peering at his card, trying to peek at the inside.

Remus felt his cheeks heat up as three sets of eyes focused on him. He quickly closed his card and put it back into its envelope before he shoved it into his bag and muttered, "Yep."

"Aces," James grinned, sitting back and waving his card around. "Guess someone likes all of us, then."

Sirius snorted and dropped his card carelessly before he replied, "I bet your mother sent them, Potter. Didn't want her little prince to get nothing on Valentine's Day."

"Shove off," James replied, punching Sirius in the arm when the other boy laughed at him.

Remus rolled his eyes at the ensuing tussle and tucked into his bacon.

And then, because the boys were in their first year and were completely unbothered by romance or anything even remotely related to that sort of thing, the conversation quickly turned away from Valentine's Day and onto more important things – like their next big prank and what they were going to do after lessons had finished for the day – and Remus almost forgot what day it was.

But as he was clearing out his bag at the end of the day, he found the card and he sat for a second, unsure what to do with it. In the end, he decided to keep it and he put it in his trunk. It was, after all, his first ever Valentine's gift, and he thought that it would be rude to just throw it away.

Besides, he liked the message.

* * *

**February 1973 (Second Year)**

On his second Valentine's Day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Remus Lupin received a bouquet of flowers. If he were an avid gardener, he might know what type of flowers they were and what, if any, their secret meanings were – but he wasn't, so he didn't know. All he knew was that they were colourful and extravagant and very obvious.

"Are those for you?" Peter asked, looking utterly confused as he sat down in his seat at the breakfast table and began loading his plate with scrambled eggs.

"I don't know," Remus replied, sitting next to him and studying the flowers: blues and reds and whites and yellows and one orange flower; all different sizes and different types; all very colourful and very pretty. He absently wondered if they reflected the sender.

"Of course they are," Sirius stated confidently, taking his usual seat next to James, across from Remus and Peter. "They're in his spot, aren't they?"

"Did someone get you flowers?" James snickered, a teasing grin on his face. "That's a bit girly, mate."

Remus frowned and retorted, "There's nothing girly about flowers, Potter."

Sirius grinned and said, "Exactly. So, who are they from?"

Remus shrugged and looked around the bouquet. He quickly found a small card tucked between two white flowers and the lone orange one. Inside was a message that read:

**Dear Remus,  
A flower's appeal is in its contradictions — so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect.  
Happy Valentine's Day**

Remus took a second to ponder the message, unsure how he was supposed to interpret the meaning. Was it about him, or was it a clue to who the sender was? Was it saying that he was a flower – delicate and small and soon to die? Or was he supposed to be the latter – strong and big and with lasting effect? Or maybe he was overthinking it and it was just about flowers and how special they were.

"What?" James asked, leaning over the table and trying to read the message. "What does it say?"

"Nothing," Remus muttered, closing the card and putting it back between the flowers. "Just something about flowers and their significance."

"Significance – that's a big word," Peter joked.

James cackled and Remus rolled his eyes, then replied, "Well, unlike you lot, I know big words."

"Ouch," Sirius laughed. "He's got you there."

"He was talking about all of us, nitwit," Peter scowled.

Sirius gasped dramatically and placed a hand over his heart, "Remus! Betrayment!"

"Betrayment isn't a word," Remus replied.

Sirius just shrugged carelessly in response and shoved a spoonful of porridge into his mouth, grey eyes sparkling with mischief. Remus shook his head with a small smile, moved the flowers aside and ate his breakfast as well, the whole conversation moving onto other subjects.

When the post arrived, he received a card from a Hufflepuff in his Potions class. His friends received a few gifts each, but he noticed that he was the only boy with flowers. In fact, he seemed to be the only Gryffindor with flowers.

For a brief second, he wondered if he should like them.

James calling them girly had made him wonder if he should, since he was a boy and he should like boyish things, but then he decided that he didn't much care what he was supposed to like because it only really mattered what he did like, in the end, and what he liked was the bouquet because it was pretty and smelled nice and made him think of his childhood and springtime in the countryside.

He took the bouquet up to his bedroom after breakfast and left the flowers on his bedside table, taking the message out and putting it into his trunk (under his Transfiguration textbook to stop James from snooping).

Maybe, if he ever met the person who was sending the gifts, he would ask them how he was supposed to perceive the message.

* * *

**February 1974 (Third Year)**

On his third Valentine's Day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Remus Lupin received a box of rather expensive chocolates. As opposed to the previous two years, the chocolates were not gifted to him at breakfast but after lessons in the common room, left in the middle of the table that Remus and his friends – colloquially known as the Marauders amongst their peers – used for studying and pranking sessions.

He had received two cards that morning – one from Emmeline Vance, a Ravenclaw that he quite liked, and another from Anya Saperstein, a Hufflepuff that he had never spoken to before but seemed nice. He hadn't received anything from the mystery sender, and he had not expected to.

Well, he hadn't until he and the others returned from their evening meal and found the box on their desk, that is.

"It's for you," Sirius said, handing the card to Remus.

Remus frowned and opened it, feeling a bit giddy as he realised who it was from. The card was simple – white with silver trimming – and inside was a message that read:

**Dear Remus,  
Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a beneficent restorer of exhausted power. It is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits, of which you frequently are.  
Happy Valentine's Day**

Remus snorted, because he was known for his literary habits.

(Personally, he didn't think he read all that much. In fact, Sirius probably read more books than him. But Sirius didn't take a book with him wherever he went like Remus did. It was only a precaution; just in case he got bored or needed a distraction.)

Remus glanced at the chocolates and sat down at the table with the others who were eyeing the sweets hungrily. He opened the box and then held them to his nose, sniffing for any signs of tampering. He had heard about Love Potions, after all.

Satisfied, Remus put the box on the table and said, "Go on, then."

Sirius and Peter dove in immediately, picking their favourites greedily and seconds away from shoving them down their gullets; before they could, however, James slapped their hands and yelped:

"Wait! Don't eat those!"

Remus, surprised at James's almost violent outburst, glanced at his friends and almost laughed at their expressions of betrayal: Peter looked murderous and Sirius looked confused. He picked up a chocolate and shoved it in his mouth before James could stop him.

"Remus!"

"What?" Remus asked through a mouthful of delicious chocolate.

"You don't know who these came from," James exclaimed, looking like a madman with his wide eyes and wild hair. "That chocolate could have been poisoned for all you know!"

Remus swallowed his bite and laughed, "What are you on about?"

"Poison," James said very seriously.

Sirius snickered and picked up his piece of chocolate. "Don't be ridiculous, James."

Peter picked up his own piece and only paused when James said, "Don't! You might start clucking like a chicken or putting your clothes on backwards or something."

"They're not poisoned, James," Remus assured, grinning when Peter immediately shoved the treat in his mouth.

"And how do you know that?" James questioned, eyebrow raised sceptically.

"Because they don't smell poisoned," Remus explained.

James squinted and asked, "How can you possibly know that?"

Remus raised an eyebrow, as if to say: 'You're really going to ask me that?'

"Really, James?" Sirius asked. "He has a _really good_ sense of smell, remember?"

James frowned and it took a second for the underlying meaning behind Sirius's words to sink in: Remus was a werewolf which meant that his senses were more heightened than the average human being. Whilst being a werewolf was generally bad, Remus was privy to a few benefits: better senses, better reflexes, faster healing, and some other ones that he was still discovering.

"Oh," James said, the words sinking in. "Right."

Remus chuckled and picked up another chocolate before he shoved the packet at James who took one and inspected it carefully before he ate it. The Marauders then ate the rest of the box together before they pulled out their cards and set about playing Exploding Snap.

When bedtime rolled around, Remus put the card in his trunk and wondered if he would ever find out who the mystery sender was.

* * *

**February 1975 (Fourth Year)**

On his fourth Valentine's Day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Remus Lupin received a poem – gifted to him in the form of a Romantic Howler. He had barely touched the envelope before it rose up from the table and began screaming at him:

**REMUS JOHN LUPIN,  
YOU WONDERFUL NERD!  
YOU HAVE THE MOST MARVELOUS LAUGH,  
THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD!**

**SOMETIMES I LOOK AT YOU,  
AND I WONDER: HOW DO YOU EXIST?  
THEN I THANK EVERY DEITY,  
AND EVERY BEING IN THE MIST.**

**YOU ARE WONDERFUL AND BRILLIANT,  
AND THIS PLANET DOES NOT DESERVE YOU;  
BUT YOU'RE HERE AND BLESSING US,  
SO I WILL CONTINUE TO SPEAK TRUTH.**

**I AM NOT A GREAT POET,  
SO I THINK I WILL END IT HERE;  
BUT KEEP BEING AMAZING,  
AND I WILL KEEP BEING YOUR SECRET BANDOLIER.**

And then, finished with its spiel, the letter showered him in red heart confetti before it fluttered back to the table and folded itself up. The Great Hall was silent for all of one second before noise broke out and students began gossiping.

Remus felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment as the entirety of the Hall stared and laughed and whispered about him. He grabbed the envelope and quickly stuffed it into his pocket, then he frowned down at his mashed potatoes and avoided looking at anyone.

"That – was – amazing," James stated, a massive grin on his face.

"What was that part about the mist?" Peter laughed.

"Beats me," James shrugged and then returned with, "What's a bandolier?"

"It's a belt with pockets," Sirius said, taking a large bite of his Yorkshire pudding. "It holds ammunition for guns."

There was a second of silence – wherein James, Peter and Remus all looked at Sirius – then Sirius, seemingly insulted, said:

"What? I know things!"

James hummed doubtfully then asked, "Guns?"

"Muggle version of wands," Peter explained.

"Oh," James nodded. "Right."

The conversation moved onto less humiliating topics, but it was another ten minutes before others in the Great Hall stopped staring at him, though the whispers and the giggling did not stop. Remus finished his meal quickly and left the Hall, making his way to Gryffindor Tower to spend the evening hiding behind his bed curtains.

"Remus!"

Remus paused and turned to find Sirius jogging toward him. "Sirius?"

"Hi," Sirius greeted with a smile when he was finally at his side. "Mind if I walk with you?"

Remus shrugged and they walked to the Tower together in silence.

It was not an uncomfortable silence. It was just... weird. Sirius Black was rarely ever quiet, and it made Remus feel a bit nervous, but he didn't say anything because it was quite nice, not having to say anything. It was when they stepped through the Portrait Hole and into the common room that the silence was broken:

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked. "You've been quiet. I mean, you're normally quiet. But you've been, you know... more quiet than usual."

"M'fine," Remus muttered, shrugging.

Sirius squinted and prodded him in the shoulder annoyingly. "What's wrong?" he questioned, prodding until Remus was sure he had a bruise.

"Stop that," he snapped, batting Sirius's hand away.

"Tell me what's wrong, then."

"Nothing's wrong," Remus replied before he moved over to the empty sofa by the fireplace and flopped down onto it heavily. "I'm just tired."

Sirius hummed dubiously and sat down next to him, grey eyes studying him carefully. "Is this about what happened in the Hall?"

"No," Remus replied, perhaps too quickly because:

"Oh, it is!" Sirius exclaimed. "What, did you not like the poem?"

Remus sighed and threw his head back, closing his eyes. "I wasn't listening to the poem," he said. "I was too busy being publicly humiliated."

"Oh."

Remus frowned at his friend's disappointed tone. No, maybe it wasn't disappointment there, but it was certainly not Sirius's normal loudness. He opened his eyes to find Sirius staring thoughtfully at the fire. After a second of silence, Sirius sighed and replied:

"I'm sure they didn't mean to embarrass you..."

Remus sighed again and mumbled, "I know. But still..." He stood up and said, "I'm going to bed."

"Remus, it's barely six o'clock," Sirius reasoned, grabbing his sleeve. "Don't let this ruin your night."

"I'm not," he replied, carefully extracting himself from Sirius's grip. "I'm just tired."

"Code for: I'm Remus Lupin and I don't want to socialise," Sirius retorted.

Remus grinned softly and nodded, "Exactly. Goodnight."

And with that, he headed for the staircase. But not before he heard Sirius threaten: "Fine, but when James and Pete get back, don't expect you'll get much rest!"

Remus laughed and responded, "I wouldn't expect anything less!"

Once in the dormitory, he took the envelope out of his pocket and glared down at it, wondering what to do with it. On the one hand, it was a gift from his mystery sender, and he had kept all of the correspondence thus far. On the other hand, however, it had been one of his most embarrassing moments in his short life thus far.

Chewing his lip in contemplation, Remus opened the Valentine Howler, now drained of magic and just a piece of paper unable to shout at him, and read the poem. It didn't really reveal who the sender was, other than that they had heard him laugh and had seen him before – which could be anyone. And he didn't much understand the part about the bandolier. Were they a fan of western films? Did they mean it metaphorically – like they would hold his bullets? Maybe they just couldn't think of a word rhyming with 'here'?

Despite it all, he quite liked the poem. And if he was James or Sirius and liked being centre of attention, he might have enjoyed it with the rest of the Great Hall. He decided to keep the letter – just in case he met the person one day, then he could ask them what they meant about the bandolier.

* * *

**February 1976 (Fifth Year)**

On his fifth Valentine's Day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Remus Lupin received a book. Fifth year was a good year for him in terms of romance. He had his first kiss, went on his first date, and three people asked him to be their Valentine. Unfortunately, his first kiss was sloppy, his first date was a disaster, and he was beginning to realise how utterly shite and Capitalised the holiday was. It wasn't even a holiday, really. No one got the day off and hardly anyone knew the etymology behind it.

(That said, he had asked Emmeline Vance to the Valentine's Ball on the coming Saturday – but only because she had hinted so strongly that she was dateless and wanted to go, and he quite fancied her.)

Remus had wondered if maybe his secret Valentine had seen how horrified he was after the previous year's disaster and had decided not to do anything this year since breakfast and dinner passed without incident. But when he got to his table in the Library, he found a thick book waiting for him and on top of it was an envelope with his name printed on the front.

Cautious, he picked it up and breathed a silent sigh of relief when it didn't start singing or yelling at him. He opened it up and read the message inside:

**Dear Remus,  
Sorry about last year. Hope this makes up for it.  
Happy Valentine's Day  
(P.S. Check the inside cover.)**

Frowning, Remus looked at the book on the table and found himself smiling because it was one that he recognised: _Astronomie et Astrologie_ by Astra Nébuleuse and Calliope Sūraja. He had passed it numerous times in Tomes & Scrolls but had never bought it. Mostly because he was saving up his pocket money since it was quite expensive, but also because he thought that maybe his mother was planning on buying it for him for his birthday. He sat down at the table and opened the book to find another message:

**You're so down to Earth,  
And I'm up in the stars;  
So show me the sea,  
And I'll take you to Mars.**

Remus stared down at the words on the page, written in a scrawl that was both familiar and unknown. The message made something shift in his chest and he wondered absently if he would ever meet the mystery sender. It felt like the message was directed at him, that it was not just written in relation to the book about stars but that it was chosen with him and the sender in mind. But then he realised how utterly ridiculous that was and decided that it was just a short poem they had found.

Remus closed the book and stared at the cover.

He had intended to work on his Divination essay but with the book in front of him – a book that he had been wanting since he read the blurb and decided that it would change his life – he couldn't find the motivation. He still had another two weeks before the essay was due, so he decided to put it off and read his Valentine's gift instead.

**:: … ::**

"What's that?" Peter asked when Remus stepped into the common room a little over two hours later.

"Nothing," he muttered absently, making his way up to the dormitory.

Peter followed. "Astronomy and Astrology by Astra Ne-Nee-Nebulose? And Calliope Su-Soor-Seraja?" he read, butchering the names of the two of leading Astronomers at present.

"It's pronounced Astra Nébuleuse, she's French. And Calliope Sūraja, she was born in India but moved to France when she was young," Remus explained, pausing on the landing.

Peter hummed disinterestedly and they walked into the shared bedroom, finding James and Sirius sitting on James's bed with a set of cards in their hands. They both looked up when Remus and Peter entered the room.

"Oh, the secret admirer has struck again, eh?" James noted. "What's it this time? A book that shouts about how your eyes are the colour of Autumn and your breath is minty fresh?"

Sirius gave the other Gryffindor a shove for his teasing but Remus had had a year to get over last year's embarrassment and was no longer phased by such mocking. It was barely a blip on what he had experienced in the last twelve months being one of the Marauders.

"Last year's poem wasn't that bad," Remus replied, placing his book onto his bedside table and sitting down to remove his shoes. "And it's a book about the origins of Astronomy and Astrology and how they interlink."

Sirius placed his cards down on James's bed and stood up, taking Remus's gift in hand and giving it a onceover. "A book, eh?" he asked. "Astra Nébuleuse and Calliope Sūraja... Is the book in French too?"

"It is, as it happens," he replied, taking the book back and lying on his bed to continue reading it. "I haven't read the English translation, obviously, but I think it's probably better in its original language anyway."

"I have heard that," Sirius noted aloud. "How is it so far?"

"Brilliant," Remus grinned. "They go into so many different theories that haven't been fully explored and even came up with a few themselves. I'll lend it to you sometime."

Sirius grinned back but before he could say anything, James complained: "Oi, enough book chat, you old hens. Sirius, get back here so I can beat you."

"Hah! You wish, Potter," Sirius replied haughtily as he sat back down on James's bed. "I was winning and I still am."

"Right, well this is boring so I'm just gonna..." Peter thumbed the door and added, "See yous later," before he left the room.

A chorus of, "Bye, Pete," sounded before Remus ignored the other occupants of the room, absorbed once again in his book. He decided that the book more than made up for last year's disaster and he used the card as a bookmark until he finished the book. Once he had finished the book, he put the card with the others.

* * *

**February 1977 (Sixth Year)**

On his sixth Valentine's Day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Remus Lupin received a scary present: a stuffed animal. It was scary for two reasons: one, the teddy was a canine which, in his tainted and neurotic brain, suggested that the mystery sender knew of his affliction; and two, whoever the sender was not only knew how to get into Gryffindor Tower but also knew where his dormitory was and which bed was his.

"Uh... What's that?" Remus asked, standing in the doorway and staring at his bed where the animal sat on his pillow with a red ribbon around its neck.

Peter looked up from his graphic novel, "Huh?"

"That," he repeated, pointing to his pillow where the intruder sat. "What is it?"

"Oh, that," Peter muttered disinterestedly, blue eyes returning to his novel. "I dunno. I think it's from your secret lover."

"Oh, bugger off," Remus grumbled, frowning in annoyance at the blush he could feel rising. He moved into the room and sat down on his bed, taking the soft toy in hand and studying it cautiously. It was grey and looked like it was supposed to be a wolfhound. It felt expensive and when he brought it closer to his face, he could smell vanilla and spice. "Have you been in the dorm all day?"

"Nope," Peter replied. "Why?"

"Just wondering how someone got it in here..."

Not a second later, Sirius emerged from the bathroom in a billow of steam, towel hung low around his hips and dark hair dripping water droplets down on to his chest. Remus found himself distracted for a moment and he knew why but he wasn't too keen on examining or confirming what he felt, so he held the toy up and asked:

"Do you know where this came from?"

Sirius paused and stared at the stuffed animal for a second before he answered, "Your secret admirer, I'd imagine."

Remus frowned and lowered the toy, staring at it carefully. His expression must have spoke for him because in the next second, Sirius laughed and added:

"Don't worry, Moony. You don't have some creepy stalker who sneaks in and watches you while you sleep. James brought it up from the common room for you."

"Oh."

Well, that eased one of his anxieties, at least.

"What?" Sirius asked suddenly, staring at Remus through the mirror.

"What?" he retaliated.

"Your face, it's doing that weird thing."

Remus frowned, "What weird thing?"

"That weird face you pull whenever you're worrying about something but you don't want to say anything because you know that it probably isn't true or doesn't matter," Sirius explained. "So, what are you worrying about? It's just a teddy."

"It's nothing," he replied.

"Sounds like something," Peter muttered.

Remus sighed and said, "It's nothing. Really. It's just... The teddy – it's a wolf, right? Do you think that means, I don't know, that they know? About... me."

Sirius and Peter shared a look before Sirius said, "Maybe. But, I mean, if they do, it doesn't seem like it bothers them. I mean, if they know and they didn't like it, they wouldn't send you a gift, right?"

"Exactly," Peter agreed.

Remus took a second to think about this before he decided that his friends were right. If the secret sender knew and had sent him a gift anyway (a soft, expensive, nice-smelling gift), then they mustn't care all that much.

"I suppose," he muttered.

"Honestly, Moony, don't let your mind run away with this," Sirius said before he took some clothes out of his trunk and disappeared back into the bathroom.

Remus hummed and glanced at his pillow where a small envelope sat, his name printed on the front in a now familiar scrawl. He picked it up and unfolded it, and then read the message:

**Dear Remus,  
1 universe, 9 planets, 204 countries, 809 islands, 7 seas, and I had the privilege of meeting you.  
Happy Valentine's Day**

Something warm bloomed in his chest. He didn't understand it, and he didn't know what to call it, but he knew one thing: he liked the feeling. Reading the words, it was the first time he wondered if maybe the cards and the gifts weren't given to him out of pity or silent friendship but because the mystery sender might actually possibly like him. Like, maybe they liked him in the way James Potter liked Lily Evans and Peter Pettigrew liked Dyanola Dearborn and Sirius Black liked Caradoc Dearborn.

"What does it say?" Peter asked.

"Same as always," he replied vaguely.

Peter hummed and returned his attention to his book.

Remus read the card once more, that same feeling filling his chest with comforting warmth, before he folded it back up and hid it in the bottom of his trunk. He then kicked off his shoes, lay back on his bed and began reading his Divination textbook, his new stuffed animal (known as Snuffles for reasons he couldn't quite give) tucked into his side.

* * *

**February 1978 (Seventh Year)**

On his seventh Valentine's Day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Remus Lupin received a card. It was similar to the one he had received in his first year: simple and white with a glittery red heart on the front; delivered to him at breakfast, though none of his friends received the same one this time. The most notable difference, however, was the message inside:

**Dear Remus,  
I know you find much of Shakespeare's work pretentious, but he was right when he wrote: love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind – though you are quite a looker.  
Seven years, seven Valentines, and you still haven't figured it out?  
If you want to know who I am, meet me at the Docks at 6pm tonight.  
Happy Valentine's Day**

Remus frowned and quickly stuffed the card into his pocket, away from the prying eyes of his friends. He was unsure if he wanted to meet the mystery sender or not. It had been seven years, after all, and although he had thought about it, he wasn't sure if he actually wanted to know who this person was or why they persisted in sending him annual gifts. Plus, he had Sirius – Sirius, who he had been with for four months and who made him feel important and at home with every kiss and who he loved... Did he really want to risk what he shared with Sirius for a stranger?

"What, no gift this year?" James teased. "Rough."

Remus rolled his eyes but before he could say anything snarky, Peter said, "Moony doesn't care about his secret admirer now that he has Padfoot to cater to his every need."

Sirius grinned salaciously and slid a hand over Remus's thigh under the table, "Too right."

"So, then?" James redirected. "What does it say?"

Remus paused, "What?"

"The letter," James elaborated, gesturing to his pocket.

"Oh, uh... Nothing important," Remus replied vaguely.

James hummed, squinting at him with suspicion, but let the subject drop – but only because Lily Evans had walked into the Great Hall and the young Potter heir had Grand Plans for their first Valentine's Day as a couple. He jumped up from his seat like an excited antelope and grabbed his colourful bouquet of wildflowers, then made his way over to the redhead and walked her to her seat.

"Pathetic now, isn't he?" Peter mourned.

Sirius laughed and replied, "What, like he hasn't been pathetic for the last few years?"

"Fair point," Peter nodded. Then he glanced around the Hall and saw his girlfriend sitting at her table with her friends, and, in complete contradiction to his insult of his friend's lovesickness, he muttered, "Ah, see you two later, yeah?" and stumbled his way over to the Slytherin table.

"He's such a hypocrite," Remus muttered, watching his friend walk away.

Sirius just hummed in agreement, then he turned to Remus and grinned excitedly. "I have something for you," he stated before he reached under the table and produced a card and a red giftbag. He then pushed them towards Remus on the table and winked, adding, "Now don't open it here. Wouldn't want to scar James and Pete or any of the little ones this early on the morning."

For a second, Remus expected his friends to jump in with something like: 'Scar us? Too late!' or maybe, 'We were in the dorm last night, we're already scarred for life.' But then he remembered that neither of them were present, so the moment just lingered until Sirius said:

"Did you get me anything?"

Remus panicked for a millisecond until he remembered that he was an adequate boyfriend who had remembered how much of a Hopeless Romantic his boyfriend was, and so he had remembered to get an appropriate gift and card.

"I – Yes," he replied. "It's just... in the dorm."

Sirius squinted suspiciously but nodded and turned back to his food, his hand still resting on Remus's thigh as he ate.

**:: … ::**

"What are you doing here?"

Remus looked up from his sketchpad to find Sirius standing in the doorway, a strange look on his handsome face – one that Remus was sure he had never seen before. "Just doodling?" he replied.

Sirius rolled his eyes and sauntered into the room, over to Remus's bed where he leaned against the post. "Shouldn't you be out, causing havoc and breaking hearts?" he drawled.

"No, because I'm a Prefect – I don't cause havoc, I merely watch it be done – and I certainly don't break hearts," he replied. "That's more your department."

Sirius scoffed but said nothing else. Then it occurred to Remus:

"Wait, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Quidditch practice? You know, taking the piss out of James and hitting flying balls with a bat?"

"Ah, it was cancelled because Prongs wanted to have a Super Grand Date with Red and the rest of the team had their own romances to be dealing with," Sirius responded.

"Ah," Remus nodded before he turned back to his book.

Sirius cleared his throat and said, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Remus frowned and glanced at his boyfriend, "No...?"

"The Docks, 6 o'clock?"

Remus's frown deepened and he replied, "Wha—Wait, how did you – Did you read my card?"

"Might have," Sirius replied vaguely. He then gestured to his watch and held his wrist up to show the time: 5:45(PM). "It's nearly time, so why aren't you on your way?"

"Why would I go?"

"Don't you want to meet them?" Sirius asked, watching him carefully.

Remus shrugged, "Not really."

"But... They've been sending you Valentine's stuff since forever."

"Right, but what would I gain from meeting them?" Remus asked, because that was what he had been wondering all day.

If he met this mystery person, what did he expect to happen? Fireworks and instant connection – no, that would mean ending things with Sirius and he didn't think anything could make him do that. So the thing most likely to happen was that he would meet whoever it was and it would be super awkward and he wouldn't know what to say because what do you say to someone who has been giving you things for seven years? 'Thank you' seemed a little lacklustre.

"It could only end one way: with both of us standing there awkwardly."

"You don't know that," Sirius replied, sitting on the bed. "What if they're your soulmate?"

Remus sighed and closed his sketchbook, putting it on his bedside table before he sat up and took Sirius's hand in his own. Then he said, "Padfoot, I don't want to meet them. It doesn't matter who they are – they're not you. Why would I want to meet someone else when I have you?"

Sirius frowned, like he didn't understand, then he replied, "Really?"

"Really," Remus nodded. "The best that could happen from me going down there is I find out who it is and thank them for sending me chocolate and cards with neat quotes. Nothing else would happen, so what's the point? I'm fine with not knowing who it is. And sure, I feel a bit bad about not going, but I don't want to create any false assumptions by turning up, you know?"

Sirius studied him for a long second before he leaned forward, took Remus's face in his hands, and planted a very chaste but very sweet kiss on his lips. Before Remus could fully respond, however, Sirius stood up and made his way to his bed. He rummaged around in his bedside table and took something out before he returned to Remus's bed and sat down, holding out the piece of paper he had taken. Remus frowned and took the slip. Inside was one word:

**SURPRISE!**

Remus's frown deepened. "What, uh... Is this... What is this?"

"Surprise," Sirius said with a large grin.

"Uh..."

"It's me," Sirius stated.

Remus was feeling more than a little slow and he muttered, "It's you...?"

"I've been sending you the gifts," Sirius explained, that large grin melting into a softer smile.

Remus did not reply. He just stared at his boyfriend because he didn't know what to say. The last few years flooded through his mind – the gifts, the quotes, the feelings. It quickly dawned on him: Sirius Black, his best friend, his boyfriend, perhaps the love of his life, was his secret admirer and had been for the last seven years.

"It's... you," he replied, a bit belatedly.

Sirius's smile did not falter and he nodded, "Yep!"

"You're... It's been you, all this time?"

"Aha," he nodded again.

"But – What – I mean, how..." Remus stuttered, flummoxed. "I have so many questions."

Had Sirius been his secret sender since the first Valentine's Day at Hogwarts? Why did he do it? When did it become less friendly and more romantic – or had it always been romantic? Why the fuck did he think a Romantic Howler was a good idea? What was the flower quote about? Why hadn't he said something sooner?

Sirius laughed and climbed onto the bed, pushing Remus back and straddling his lap. "I will answer anything," he stated, "But can we accept how brilliant I am and snog a bit first?"

Remus took barely a second to ponder this before he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and said, "Fine. You'd better kiss me now before I start interrogating you."

Sirius raised an eyebrow and muttered, "Kinky," before he planted his lips on Remus's.

**:: … ::**

Later, when they were lying on Remus's bed, half-naked and sated, Remus asked his questions and got his answers.

It turned out that: yes, Sirius had been the secret sender since first year and he had done it partly to make his friends feel included and partly because the House of Black did not celebrate the holiday but he had always wanted to; it became less friendly and more romantic when Sirius began crushing on him in fourth year (hello grand gesture that was not well-received); the flower quote was just a flower quote; and he hadn't said anything sooner because he wanted to keep the tradition alive – plus, he had been planning on confessing his crush in their final year but their kiss on Bonfire Night had sped things up a bit.

"I can't believe you did this," Remus muttered absently, fingers dancing across the bare skin of Sirius's back. "I fucking love you."

Sirius paused and glanced up at him. "What did you say?" he asked, watching Remus with intense grey eyes. He leaned up on his elbow and stared down at him. "Remus?"

Remus froze, internally panicking because he and Sirius had been together for a little over four months but neither of them had said the L word yet. Not because they didn't feel it – they did, and it was obvious to each other and everyone around them – but because it was a big step for two lads who both had issues with the emotion.

Remus wondered if he should try and take it back, but then he wondered why he would try to take it back. He loved Sirius, of that he was certain, and Sirius deserved to know.

"I love you," he repeated, looking Sirius in the eyes, a heavy weight dissipating in his chest. "I do."

Sirius studied him, as if trying to assess how serious Remus was. After a long second, the fallen heir smiled and leaned forward, planting a kiss on Remus's lips. "I love you too," he replied.

Remus felt his chest expand. "Yeah?"

Sirius nodded, "Yes."

Remus grinned, "Good."

With that, they settled back down and talked about everything and nothing, and Remus decided that he was going to make their next Valentine's Day one to remember – since Sirius had made all of the others memorable. He decided, there and then, that he was going to make every Valentine's Day special for Sirius for as long as they were together just as Sirius had made his last several Valentine's Days special.


End file.
